Environment

Water Scarcity Due to Climate Change Will Have Severe Consequences, World Bank Warns

By Ada Carr

May 05 2016 09:00 AM EDT

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As climate change continues to progress, scientists are warning that water scarcity could become such an issue that it hinders economic growth, spurs migration and sparks conflict, creating large and uneven consequences across the globe.

In a report titled High and Dry: Climate Change, Water and the Economy, the World Bank reveals that water will become scarce in regions where it is currently abundant, such as Central Africa and East Asia, if climate change continues unabated. On the other side of the spectrum, water scarcity will greatly worsen in regions such as the Middle East and the Sahel in Africa, where water is already in short supply.

“When we look at any of the major impacts of climate change, they one way or another come through water,” lead author Richard Damania told The Washington Post. “So it will be no exaggeration to claim that climate change is really in fact about hydrological change.”

Growing populations, rising incomes and expanding cities all contribute to the growing demand for water. These combined effects will only spell more trouble in the future, as the supply becomes more erratic. An increase in conflict is also likely in the event of mass water scarcity, the report says.

(MORE: Climate Change to Hit Middle East, North Africa Hard)

“Food price spikes caused by droughts can inflame latent conflicts and drive migration. Where economic growth is impacted by rainfall, episodes of droughts and floods have created waves of migration and spikes in violence within countries,” the report says.

The World Bank also reports that water scarcity could cause certain regions to see their growth decline by as much as 6 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) by 2050 due to weather-related impacts on agriculture, health and incomes.

Shortages of water and lack of preventative measures could drop the Middle East’s GDP by 14 percent and take down the Sahel’s GDP by almost 12 percent, The Guardian reports. Central Asia could lose up to 11 percent and East Asia could see a decrease of 7 percent of its GDP.

(MORE: Florida Keys Reefs Are Dissolving Much Sooner Than Expected)

Global warming has already begun to show how it can impact the world’s water. Oxygen levels in the sea are declining in oceans, making it harder for bottom-dwelling fish to breathe. It’s projected to keep dropping levels in some hotspots that are naturally low in oxygen, such as the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Climate change’s negative impacts on water could be neutralized through enforcing better policy decisions, according to the report. Some regions could even improve their growth rates by up to 6 percent by using better water resource management.

“Improved water stewardship pays high economic dividends. When governments respond to water shortages by boosting efficiency and allocating even 25 percent of water to more highly-valued uses, such as more efficient agricultural practices, losses decline dramatically and for some regions may even vanish,” states the report.

The World Bank suggests better planning for water resource allocation, adoption of incentives to increase water efficiency, and investments in infrastructure for more secure water supplies and availability as methods to combat climate change’s effects on water.

Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands are some of the most vulnerable islands to the effects of climate change. (Matt Kieffer/Flickr.com)

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.